A Dangerous Invalid
by athenax123
Summary: Bellatrix Lestrange has fallen ill to the common cold and she hates having to stay in bed for weeks. Her sister, Narcissa, pays her a visit, partly out of concern but mostly to make fun of her. Bella dislikes having to depend on others to take care of her, but she secretly thinks it is quite nice. This fic is a one-shot, hope you like it! :)


"ACHOO!"

It was a gloomy Monday morning, and Bellatrix Lestrange was lying in bed flat on her back, her eyelids drooping and her lips slightly parted. Her long black hair lay in frizzy curls around her frame and she had a sullen look on her pale face. She picked up her wand that was lying on the bed next to her and, huffing slightly, pointed straight at a large spider that was slowly spinning its web in the rafters of the roof.

"Imperio." she murmured, trying to enunciate the spell clearly under the hoarse growl of her sore throats and her stuffed nose, which was infuriating her by the second. The spider started to dance and a small smirk crept onto Bellatrix's lips. It was the first thing she had been in control of all week, since she could not physically move out of her bed. It seemed, uncomfortable as it was to admit, that being waited on by her husband and daughter had a satisfying ring to it, yet she lacked all control in her life and this was something she desperately craved.

"Mummy!" shouted the voice of a little girl, as she ran up the stairs, "Auntie Cissy is here to see you!"

"Lovely." murmured Bellatrix, looking over to the door as her daughter's pale, oval face peered in, her silvery-blue hair falling gracefully over her shoulders as she did so.

"Should I tell her to come up, Mummy?" asked Delphi, her eyes wide as she waited for a response, almost worried that her mother was going to fire a curse through the window any second.

"Yes, darling." said Bellatrix, forcing a small smile onto her face before slumping back into her pillow, her gaze averting back to the large spider, which was now advancing towards her from the foot of her bed. She heard Delphi's footsteps rush away, back down the stairs as she called out to who was, presumably, Narcissa Malfoy.

"Dance, little arachnid, dance!" commanded Bellatrix, "Your life is in my han-ACHOO!"

The spider seemed to have an amused expression on its face as it stopped advancing to stare at Bellatrix through its beady eyes.

"Avada Kedavra!" shouted Bellatrix, pointing her wand directly at the spider, the room briefly illuminating with a pale green flash of light.

"Playing with spiders _again_ , are we, Bella?" said a woman, a slight sneer to her tone of voice as it floated in from the doorway.

"Cissy." said Bella, in a low whisper, placing her wand back down on the bed.

"Bella." said Narcissa, walking into the room, the sound of her heels clacking against the wooden floor as she approached her sister, "How are you finding life as an invalid?"

"Don't mock me, Cissy." spat Bellatrix, her fingers instinctively reaching towards her wand, "I feel bad enough, lying around here all day."

"I thought you'd have loved all the attention." grinned Narcissa.

"I did, it was nice at first." Bella said, admittedly, "But now I just feel like a sap."

"Do you need anything whilst I'm here?" asked Narcissa, staring carefully at her sister.

"Go straight to Rosmerta's and ask for all the Firewhisky she has." grumbled Bella.

"Now Bella." said a cool voice from the door, "You know better than to get drunk when you're ill."

Tom appeared in the doorway, his hands in his trouser pockets as he gazed at Bella intensely.

"Sorry, Master." murmured Bella. He was the only one who could knock any sort of sense into here when she was ill.

"What you need is some warm soup." said Tom, smirking slightly, "Not to indulge yourself in drinks, as it'll only make you feel worse."

Narcissa snorted with laughter.

"What's so funny?" asked Bella, her eyes narrowing.

"I never thought I'd see the day where the _great_ Dark Lord was offering you _soup_." grinned Narcissa.

"Careful, Narcissa." said Tom, coolly, "Before you receive the same fate as Bella's spider a few moments ago."

Narcissa placed her hands into her coat pockets, rolling her eyes so that neither Tom nor Bella could see her.

"Do I _have_ to drink that soup, Master?" groaned Bella, thrashing her head back against her pillow in apparent rage.

"Yes." said Tom, sternly, leaving the room.

Bella grumbled and sank down further into her bed sheets.

At least it felt nice being waited on.


End file.
